


I Found You

by Mamakrit



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Identity Reveal, Lost Love, Lost Miraculous (Miraculous Ladybug), Magic Revealed, Marinette can't find Chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamakrit/pseuds/Mamakrit
Summary: It has been three years, seven months and fourteen days since Marinette lost her ability to transform into Ladybug. Recent terrorist attacks have opened fresh wounds as Marinette stands helpless on the side lines. But while fate can be cruel, destiny always has a way of finding you and it won't be long before Marinette finds her way back to her Chat.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 107





	I Found You

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:  
> Angst and depictions of violence (not gruesome or in detail, but they're there).
> 
> I should be finishing up my multi-chapter fic, but this idea was stuck in my head and haunted me while I tried to write! So here it is, so I can get back to finishing my other story.

Three years, seven months and fourteen days.

Her eyes wearily began to flutter open, the bright cheer of a freshly risen sun a stark contrast to her mood. Marinette slowly rose from her prone position to sit on the edge of her bed, feet dangling over the side as she swept her hair away from her face. Her fingers instinctively reached up to her ears. The cool, smooth metal comforted her, centered her. It used to be that this morning ritual would make her cry. But not anymore. The cracks of her broken spirit had once appeared to be an endless void, but her tears had seeped through to her very soul, teemed over, and had left her as a hollow shell of her former self.

Three years, seven months and fourteen days.

That’s how long it had been since she had last been Ladybug. Since she had last embraced her very best friend. Since she had last heard her cheerful kwami’s reassurance. Since she had last truly known what it was to have a sense of purpose. Since she had sacrificed everything she had held dear to her in an attempt to protect the city, no, the people that she loved. 

She absentmindedly ran her hand over the tiny satin pillow to her right, the one where Tikki used to sleep. The satin fabric was cold to the touch, much like her earrings; an empty reminder of what she had sacrificed.

She could still remember the look in Chat’s eye. That self-sacrificing idiot. She saw the determination on his face and she knew what he was about to do the same moment he had. But one thing the cat had forgotten was that Ladybug had always been faster than him. This time, she had taken the hit. She could still hear Tikki screaming out to her as she faded within the void. Or had she imagined that part?

She sighed as she dragged herself out of bed. She still had work after all. Her feet padded down the cool tile floor of her single bedroom apartment to the modest, but tidy kitchen. She began to brew herself a cup of coffee as she popped a portion of an egg casserole her mother had sent home with her earlier in the week into the microwave for her breakfast. A long-haired black cat meandered between her legs, meowing for attention, and likely some food. The beast was a glutton.

Marinette smiled warmly down at the fluffy creature weaving around her leg. 

“Hey Chat,” she smiled. “Feline hungry?” 

She winced at her own joke as she opened the pantry to grab the container of cat food secured within next to a box of Tikki’s favorite cookies that had long since expired.  
Okay, so maybe adopting a black cat and naming it “Chat” and speaking to it in puns wasn’t the healthiest way to live her life. Still, her feline companion comforted her, and even more importantly, reminded her of the life she had lived before. 

That was no small comfort.

When everything had initially happened, Marinette was suddenly so very alone. As the entire city cheered the end of Hawkmoth’s reign, Marinette mourned in solitude. She had spent days sobbing, alone in her apartment in the city. It had felt like she had lost a piece of herself. It didn’t just feel that way, she mused, she had. She had been ripped in two, a portion of her being snatched from her grasp. A segment of her life captured, taking from her not just her identity, but everyone from that life that she had loved. The masks meant to protect them had just the opposite effect. In the end, the secrecy of it all had been her true undoing.

The microwave snapped her from her melancholy remembrance of it all. She really had tried to put it behind her, but with only Chat to confide in (the fluffy, non-human one), she felt as though she was trapped in the moment she had woken up and been hit with the realization of what had happened. Like she was standing in a street, stuck in a moment of time, and the rest of the world kept pace around her. She wasn’t usually this mopey, but the recent activity of a domestic terrorist group inciting violence in the city had understandably made her ache for her former powers. As newscasters begged the question, “Where are Ladybug and Chat Noir?” she couldn’t help but fall victim to self pity once again.

She pulled her breakfast from the microwave, eating as she stood against the counter. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She had to be at work in two hours. Plenty of time for a quick stroll past the Eiffel Tower. 

She quickly poured her coffee into a travel mug, doctoring it up just the way she liked it and she shoved the remaining casserole in her mouth in a very undignified manner. If she dressed quickly, she would have time to walk part of their patrol route too. Just in case. 

She was dressed in a flurry of activity, her steps suddenly lighter at the prospect. It’s uncanny really, how many times your heart allows you to hope. How irrelevant circumstances and actualities become when hope resides, tangibly in your chest. Yearning and excitement brimming, but held carefully at bay so as to not break your very being when that hope produces nothing but fruitlessness. 

Marinette had walked to the Eiffel Tower nearly every single day since the incident. Nearly 1,300 times her feet had traversed the familiar path, or some variation of it. Hoping. For she was content to give up everything; the powers, the fandom, the glory, the responsibility. But she never, never could fathom giving up her Chaton. And if she had to spend the rest of her life walking their patrol routes and traveling to their places to find him, she knew it would be worth it. That feeling of expectation fluttering in her chest each day when she found the time to watch for him, it had been the only lifeline that had kept her from slipping down into the chasm of depression that often called out to her. 

Sometimes she would walk past Master Fu’s old parlor house. Often, her feet would lead her to the Eiffel Tower. That had been their spot after all. She would frequently stroll along their old patrol routes, on the ground naturally, she didn’t expect to find Chat climbing on building roofs in his civilian state. Every time, the aching desperation to find him gave way to tentative hope. But each time, she had failed to find him. She had seen hundreds of thousands of tourists, six thought-they-would-be muggers, 18 bridal parties, five car accidents, and countless pigeons. But no Chat. She had even run across Adrien Agreste near a dozen times. He would smile politely at her and she would provide a small, sad smile back to him. Sometimes they would wave awkwardly. But neither of them ever approached the other. Marinette had more important missions now than focusing on a silly school age crush. 

She wondered if he blamed her? If he had been furious with her? If he would ever be able to forgive her for what she had done? For in one single moment she had cost them both everything they cherished. In one moment she had taken from him everything that she had lost too. She had torn his identity from him and surely he mourned the loss as fervently as she did. Probably more. He had often confided to her that Chat was more his true persona than his civilian self had ever been. She wondered if he had someone who held him when he cried? She hoped that he had friends to lean on, people who would understand his pain, even if they didn’t know from where it stemmed. Maybe he had finally told others his true identity? 

She never had. She couldn’t bear to. She had wanted to. God, she had wanted to. She had wanted to confess everything to Ayla and Nino. They had been in the battle, they would have understood at least a portion of her pain. She wanted them to know the truth so she could come sleep on their sofa and have someone pet her reassuringly when she woke, startled in the middle of the night and screaming out for her Kitty. She wanted to tell them so that at least one other Miraculous holder would sooth her when the tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of her purse that had for so long held her sweet little kwami. She wanted to tell them so her grief could be shared in communion and not confined to solitude, in the darkest, quietest corners of her soul, where grief tends to fester until it becomes an overwhelming entity. 

But she never did. 

She had made a promise. Chat would be the first to know. And if she never did manage to find him, then her secret would die with her. 

As she finished sweeping her hair up into a bun and securing the ribbons in her hair, she paused a moment to look at her reflection. Some emotion flitted through her eyes, but she was too numb to try and identify it. She went to find her shoes, but suddenly thought better of it as she walked to the TV in her front room and flipped it on. She may not be Ladybug anymore, but she had a habit of checking the news. Especially since the recent explosion had rocked her city. 

The first blast had gone off about 2 blocks away from her office building. She had stood up, out of instinct and habit. Probably to try and find a place to transform. She slowly had sat back down at her desk. As it was, she could accomplish no more than the woman sitting in the cubical across from her. Apparently, a local group had decided to terrorize the city, targeting Parisian elite, inciting violence and fear in an effort to further their political aspirations. 

When the second bomb had gone off earlier this week, Marinette had been at home. She had seen the blast from her window. 

Her TV screen instantly was filled with news recaps of the explosion from earlier in the week. She took a long, slow sip of coffee, never letting the cup block her vision. She watched a user-submitted video from a bicyclist's helmet camera. A building shakily framed in the background. A moment later, the building was gone. The black smoke both horrified and mesmerized her, sending her thoughts back to that day now three years gone.

The akuma battle had been fierce. 

She had gone so far as to call Carapace and Rena Rouge into battle. 

Hawkmoth had apparently realized that akumatizing small children and channeling petty jealousy and irritation were getting him nowhere. It had been the morning of March 6th, Marinette remembered. A young woman and her unborn child had been killed in a car accident. A drunk driver in broad daylight had run a red light. Her husband was on the scene mere minutes later. 

Hawkmoth finally managed to akumitize someone who knew true and total despair. His most powerful akuma had ultimately been a man who truly had nothing left to live for, a man who lashed out in grief, a man already broken beyond repair. It was a brutal and cruel manipulation. But it had worked. 

Ladybug had been first on the scene. The akuma had reacted with explosive fury. He was content to burn the world down so they may share in his grief. He nearly had. 

Ladybug had quickly driven him two streets over so he would at least no longer be able to see the wreck that was the source of his grief. That was when Chat arrived. 

It had soon become apparent to the duo that they were in trouble. The man was able to direct what could only be described as living explosions. Marinette had asked Chat if he was ok to distract for a few minutes while she went for backup. Luckily Ladybug’s apartment was three mere rooftops away (though Chat didn’t know that) and Ayla and Nino were already on the scene filming because, of course they were. 

It had taken her less than three minutes and she was back in the fray, two newly charged super heroes (and the godsend that was shelter) at their disposal. 

The rest, was fuzzy.

The man had finally grasped the upper hand. He recognized that what heroes needed more than anything was to protect the innocent. A malicious smile had spread across his face as he refrained from aiming a blast at them, but instead had set his gaze on the hospital building to the right. 

Chat had just been knocked to the ground and had lost his baton. Marinette had seen that he wasn’t phased by the loss. He had realized what the akuma was about to do, and prepared to jump in the path of the blast with no way to protect himself. 

But Marinette had been quicker. She threw her body as hard as she could at Chat and sent him careening in the other direction. She set her eyes firmly on the akuma and the blast headed straight for her. Her yo yo was still attached to the rooftop she had used to gain the momentum needed to reach Chat. She didn’t close her eyes. She didn’t shy from the pain. She was vaguely aware of someone screaming her name. 

Suddenly, a bright golden light had burst forth from within her. It stretched out of every part of her. Her hair flowed around her, somehow now free from her pigtails as her body defined the laws of gravity. Her suit, bathed in the golden light, radiated and vibrated expectantly around her. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The blast eventually collided with her, but it did not consume her. She absorbed it. 

But she didn’t stop there. 

Her pulsing glow was ravenous and she neither knew how she activated the power, nor did she know how to tame it. 

She kept drawing in the light. She pulled light from Chat and Rena and Carapace. She pulled light from the akuma too, though it was far less vibrant. As Marinette floated, gloriously suspended by the magic enveloping her, hair whipping around her, she pulled light from other sources too. From across the city, magic was drawn to her. It was the Miraculous, she could feel them. She was calling them to her, drawing their very essence into her soul.

She was vaguely aware of Chat and Rena calling to her. Frantic with panic. She should have been too, but the truth was, her body was so overcome with the power, her own emotions felt foreign to her.

And then, suddenly, it was done. She had drained all the magic from across the city and she glowed with a renewed vigor. Finally, like a black star, she began to consume her own light. She knew no fear in that moment, as she contemplated what it would feel like for magic to implode from within her.

She was never able to finish the thought. 

As a pulse of sheer magical energy burst forth from within her, she had woken, panting and disoriented within her own bed. 

Her first instinct had been to call out for Tikki. Of course, the kwami had never responded. 

It had taken her a few moments to formulate what had occurred into a cohesive narrative that she could understand. Some deeply hidden power within her had prevented her demise, but as a result had essentially rendered all the miraculous in her vicinity dormant. She still had her earrings, but for the first time since she had put them on, they felt vacant, devoid of magic and devoid of life. Her only consolation was that Hawkmoth and Myura had suffered the same fate. The akuma that had finally taken down Ladybug and Chat Noir had cost them everything too. 

The moment Marinette was able to comprehend the time and date blinking back at her on her phone she had gasped in panic. 

9:13 a.m. March 6th. 

Somehow, in the implosion of magic, time had been rendered meaningless. The day had begun again. 

The cacophony of realizations continued to bombarde Marinette, distracting her from the grief that would come when the panic finally resided. Thankfully, that time had not yet come. She jumped out of bed in frantic hysteria and raced through her apartment to the front door, barely slowing to throw on her pair of flats. 

She called for spots on, only to once again be hit with the recognizance that Ladybug existed no more.

She had cursed to herself as she began to run as fast as her lungs would allow her back to the street corner where it had all begun. She may not be Ladybug anymore, but that wouldn’t stop her from saving lives. 

She arrived at the street corner with, to her best estimation, seven minutes to spare. Gasping for air, hands on her knees she was oblivious to the stares of those around her. She didn’t have the wherewithal to notice she was still in her pajamas. 

Now what?

Well that was the question, wasn't it? How exactly can a civilian prevent a car accident? She might not have her Ladybug vision anymore, but she was determined to find a solution. She scanned the vehicles passing by with fortitude and persistence, seeking out the blue minivan she had seen the day before--- or technically later that day.

There it was!

She saw the young, pregnant woman waiting for the light to turn. With no self regard, Marinette had sprinted into the street and stood in front of the van. The woman had made eye contact with her, surprise and confusion in her eyes. Marinette had stood her ground. The woman had finally honked at her in mild annoyance as the light changed green. Marinette didn’t move. 

Suddenly the gray truck flew through the intersection and zoomed through to the other side. Marinette released the breath she had been holding and made her way to the other side of the street. She was confused why it was so difficult for her to see. She hadn’t noticed the tears that were now freely flowing down her face until she began her slow and resigned walk back home. 

What she never had known or considered in that moment, was that Chat hadn’t arrived on the scene until the battle had moved a few streets over. He hadn’t known where or why the akuma had originated. If this thought would have dawned on her amidst her aching confusion, and she had taken the three minute walk in that direction, she would have come upon Adrien Agreste, standing on a street corner. She would have seen him looking scared, and alone, and so very, very lost. She would have been witness to the tears in his eyes as he searched the crowd, the city passing him by.

The rest had occurred in an obscure haze of bitter anguish and belligerent denial. The days and nights seemed content to carry on uninterrupted, unfazed by a world that Marinette feared she would never fully recognize again. Without Chat, she felt hollow, empty, and reft. Even breathing had been an unbearable task. She had no wounds on her person, so why had she felt as though that battle had damaged her beyond repair?

Ayla had been a saving grace. Thankfully one of her old crew had a clear head. She had submitted a press release on the Ladyblog letting Paris know they were finally free from Hawkmoth’s reign. She praised the Pariasian heroes who had saved their beloved city. Marinette had never been able to read the entire article. She had tried a few times, she really had. But she always managed to break down weeping within reading the first few sentences. 

Naturally, the news was received with tentative hope and no small amount of skepticism. The Ladyblog was known for reliable intel on the Parisian heroes, but with only one news source reporting the success, and no Ladybug or Chat Noir found to confirm the news, citizens waited with hopeful bated breath. After 3 months of no akuma attacks, the city had finally embraced the notion of freedom and had held a grand celebration in honor of the heroes. 

Marinette did not attend. 

Hawkmoth was gone. But so was Ladybug. And no one would ever really know why.

Marinette had never bothered collecting the miraculous from Ayla and Nino. Afterall, how could she without sharing her identity? Theft in the dark of night didn’t seem like a good idea, and really, what was the harm? They were just barren pieces of jewelry now, devoid of magic or meaning or hope. 

The voice of Nadia Chemack pulled her from the painful memories and forced her to bask in a new and different kind of terror. “...five days apart exactly, leaving local officials on edge today as Parisian citizens fear, what many have voiced to be, a third inevitable attack.”

She felt hopeless and impotent. Ladybug would have found them by now. But she hadn’t. Because Ladybug had abandoned them all. 

“With motives still unclear, and an imminent threat of harm, this newscaster can’t help but ask… Ladybug, where are you?”

Marinette whipped around to face her front door where someone was very enthusiastically (if not obnoxiously) banging on her door while simultaneously ringing the doorbell. Marinette only knew one person who engaged in that ritual when she had news deemed exciting enough to be shared in person.

“Hold your horses, Alya! I’m coming!” Marinette shouted at the door, a fake smile plastered on her lips as she shut off the TV and tried to push Nadia’s accusatory question from her mind. 

Marinette nearly tripped over Chat in her haste to open the door and interrupt Ayla’s incessant knocking. She released a small, genuine laugh as she took in her friend’s breathless expression.

“Cracked a new story?” Marinette guessed a bemused expression on her face. Ayla shook her head no as she tried to catch her breath. Had she run the whole way here?

“Get engaged?” she tried again.

Ayla snorted, still unable to speak. 

“Land a cover article?” Marinette mused.

“God, I wish!” Ayla managed.

“Are you pregnant!?” Marinette joked eyes wide. 

“Oh my God! Is Nino pregnant!?”

Ayla barked out a laugh. “Better!” Ayla stated. “Well, better for you anyhow!” She clarified.

“What could possibly be better for me than Nino being pregnant?” she teased.

“I’m about to knock that smirk off your face. Prepare to bask in my greatness and hail me as the queen that I am.” Ayla warned.

“Now this does sound intriguing,” Marinette admitted as she stepped out of the threshold and motioned for Ayla to come in.

“Your best friend in the entire world just scored you tickets to attend Paris. Fashion. Week.” She emphasized each and every word. “Today!” She squealed with uncontrolled glee. 

Marinette leaned against her sofa and took a breath.

“Ayla, I don’t know what to say.” She really didn’t. The truth was, she had kind of given up on fashion a few years ago. It was safer to not love anything than to have desires and dreams that could just end up hurting you. It had been a long time since she had sewn anything, and longer since she had been to a fashion show.

“Say that I’m incredible, say that you love me to death and that you’re going to change out of that uppity office pencil skirt before we leave!” Ayla grabbed Marinette’s arm and did her best to refrain from jumping up and down. She was wholly unsuccessful.

“I… I have work today.” Marinette stated.

“Not anymore!” Ayla looked entirely too proud of herself. “I called your office and told the office manager that you slipped down the stairs at my apartment and that I was taking you to urgent care. Hopefully you’ll be back tomorrow.” She said with a self satisfied shrug.

“You didn’t!” Marinette didn’t know whether to be horrified or impressed.

“I did. And everyone believed it. It’s no secret that you’re a klutz.” Ayla grinned again. “But maybe limp for the rest of the week just for fun?” she suggested. “Anyways, I knew you would never lie to get out of work, so I took the liberty of doing it for you.” Ayla was clearly proud of herself. “I’m not above lying. Unless it interferes with my journalistic integrity, of course.” She admitted. “Now go get dressed so I can tell you the best part.”

“I… I’m so grateful.. But I just…” Marinette was conflicted. She wanted to go, she really did. She would love to spend the day with Ayla. And she could make a trip to the Eiffel Tower later, she supposed.

“Nope!” Ayla deadpanned. “We’re not doing that today. Go get dressed. Nino will be here in ten. You can tell me how amazing I am then. I would hurry if I was you.”

Marinette stared at her friend for just a moment longer before breaking out into a grin and embracing playing hooky. She ran back to her room to change.

“You really are the best!” she yelled to the front of her apartment as she pulled out a pair of pink skinny jeans, a white floral top, and a black blazer to pull it all together. 

“Wait til you hear the best part!” Ayla teased. 

Marinette sauntered back to the living room where she found Ayla pouring herself a cup of the leftover coffee on the counter. She was idly playing with the all too familiar necklace on her neck. Apparently she needed the reminder from time to time too. A honking horn alerting them to what was, no doubt, Nino’s arrival. 

“I’m stealing this cup.” Ayla admitted quickly tucking the necklace away. Marinette grabbed her travel mug, feeling more carefree and happy than she had in weeks. It was refreshing. Ayla always did that for her and Marinette was more grateful for her friendship than she could possibly know. 

“Go for it. I stole it from your apartment over a year ago.” Marinette admitted.

“I thought it looked familiar!” Ayla laughed as she used her hip to push Marinette closer towards the door.

“Ok, so are you going to tell me what could possibly be better than enjoying a day at Paris Fashion Week with my very best, most amazing, beautiful, queen of a friend?”

Marinette vaguely noticed two silhouettes in Nino’s car waiting for them.

“Right…” Ayla drawled. “Well, just that I scored the tickets from Adrien and he is playing the role of our personal chauffeur for the day!” Ayla’s simper looked downright evil. Marinette’s jaw dropped as she whipped back to face the unknown silhouette in the car.

“How could you?” Marinette hissed.

“You’re welcome,” was the sing-song retort. 

Marinette fought to keep a composed and friendly smile on her face as the guys spotted them and emerged from the vehicle.

“Holy crap, you boys look amazing!” Ayla screeched.

“Mar!” Nino called out and hugged her. “Long time no see.” It had only been a few weeks, but she was grateful for the temporary distraction. Adrien awkwardly stood a few feet behind Nino. Marinette gave him a genuine smile while doing her best to avoid Ayla’s dancing eyebrows. 

She was glad to see him. It had been years since she had had an actual conversation with the boy who had once held her heart so firmly within his grasp, whether he had known it or not.

“It’s so great to see you,” Marinette admitted as she reached around Nino and brought Adrien in for a hug. It was warm and comforting and perfect and Marientte was relieved to notice the anxiety and initial awkwardness between them had dissipated. 

“Yout too Marinette,” Adrien said as he tightened their embrace for a moment longer before releasing her.

“Come on you two crazy lovebirds! We have a snazzy event to attend.”

Adrien snickered good naturedly at Ayla’s attempt at humor and held the door open for the girls as they scooted to their seats in the back.

Marinette couldn’t help but appraise the boys once the initial shock had worn off. Ayla hadn’t been kidding. They really did look great. Adrien was wearing a well tailored suit that brought out his best features and made him look, well, like a model. And Nino! Nino looked sharper than Marinette had ever seen him look before. She would be willing to bet Adrien had managed to snag the suit for him. Somehow she seriously doubted that Nino owned an Agreste label suit.

“How long has this been planned?” Marinette suddenly demanded as it dawned on her that everyone else looked perfectly put together, while she had been given mere minutes to prepare.

“Dude, my girl seriously pulled all of this off totally last minute AND all over speakerphone.” Nino admitted, a tinge of pride in his voice. “Adrien was stopping by for a quick butt kicking in Mecha Strike, when Ayla called me.” Adrien started laughing. “You know how she is. Next thing I knew, Adrien was promising tickets for all and she had demanded he find me a suit in under 20 minutes and my boy pulled through.” Nino smiled sheepishly. “Next thing I knew she was tearing through the city to your house and I had orders to drive straight to your place and pick you both up.”

“Wait, wait wait.” Adrien interrupted. “Who was getting the butt kicking?”

Nino grinned. 

“The driver gets to tell the story, Sunshine.” Ayla defended her beau. 

This was nice. Genuinely nice. Marinette didn’t intentionally cut people out of her life, but rather, she had been forced into a state of stagnant limbo and found that it was hard to hold on to people when the rest of the world was in motion. Thankfully Ayla had always been her rock. No matter how withdrawn Marinette became at times, especially in the early times, Ayla had been consistent and not easily disheartened by Marinette’s often weak excuses. It seemed like every time she desperately needed it, she would come home only to find Ayla sitting on her porch. It was the only thing in her life that often made her wonder if maybe she hadn’t completely lost her luck.

Nino swung into the parking lot a few blocks away from the venue.

“Poor Sunshine boy doesn’t get the limo to the red carpet. He has to sneak in the back with the riff raff.” Ayla teased. “Daddy will be so displeased.”

“That was the primary reason I agreed to the plan.” Adrien turned in his seat with a sly grin across his face as he looked at Ayla. 

“Oh, who would have guessed? Adrien Agreste, the bad boy?” Ayla practically purred.

“Alright! That’s enough. Stop flirting with my bro Ayla, you know no one can resist it.” Nino got out of the car and opened her door for her.

“No baby, I save all my animal magnetism for you.” She teased as she let him help her from the car. Adrien and Marinette were still sitting and laughed at the happy couple as they exited the car. They rolled their eyes at each other before opening their doors and joining their friends. 

“We do have tickets, right?” Marinette asked, just a hint of concern in her voice. “We aren’t actually sneaking in the back door?”

“With the riff raff.” Ayla added.

“Very beautiful riff raff.” Nino countered.

Marinette stopped walking down the block, effectively blocking her friend's path.

“Please tell me we have tickets.” she sounded far less amused.

“We have tickets!” Adrien conceded. “But we really are going in through the back. In exchange for said tickets I was promised a red carpet free entrance.” He eyed Ayla.

“I intend to keep up my end of the bargain.” She held her hands up in mock surrender. “I am fully prepared to delight Baby Agreste and infuriate Daddy Agreste in one fell swoop.”

“As long as we have tickets,” Marinette muttered before resuming their pace.

“You’re such a good girl, Mari.” Ayla teased in a condescending tone. 

Marinette couldn’t help but to revel in the camaraderie as the group approached the venue hosting the event. They were passing through the back alleyway, which was completely suspicious. Marinette mourned the designer gown people watching she was missing out on, but there were still plenty of interesting individuals passing them by.

Adrien pulled out his phone as they reached the service entry door and sent a quick text. A moment later the back door opened and a restaurant busboy smiled at Adrien. 

“Your father stormed through the kitchen looking for you about ten minutes ago,” the boy warned, looking delighted to share the news. Marinette wondered how frequently this boy participated in Adrien’s shenanigans. 

“Well then let us in quickly and we’ll be out of your hair.” Adrien clasped the boy on the back and smiled as the group passed. “I owe you one.” He called over his shoulder. 

“I’m pretty sure we’re on four now.” The boy cheekily called back. Adrien just laughed as he guided his friends through a service hallway. 

“Come on, I have your badges on the design floor,” Adrien said as the quartet made their way to the stairwell. 

They exited the stairwell on what appeared to be a deserted floor of office spaces. One spacious area in the center was filled with mannequins and fabrics and tables and office doors littered every side of the conference space. Ayla was mid laugh, tickled by a pun Adrien had just made when a loud explosion suddenly rocked the building and shook the walls. Windows around them in every direction shattered violently and Marinette saw Nino instinctively twist his body around Ayla’s as she felt Adrien do the same for her. It was a long moment before they moved. The ringing in their ears made communication difficult, but Marinette could tell by the concern in his eyes as he held her by her shoulders that Adrien was asking if she was ok.

Marinette suddenly snapped back to attention and dove towards Ayla.

“Are you ok?” Marinette frantically examined her friend before turning to the boys. “We need to evacuate the building and search for anyone who has been injured on our way out. Adrien, notify the authorities. Ayla, I need you to--” Marinette was swinging the stairwell door back open when she suddenly shut her mouth. 

She took a deep, but quiet breath as she slowly began to close the door, sending a telepathic message to her friends to not make a noise. Luckily, Ayla and Nino were still in a daze, and Adrien who was right at her back, phone in hand calling the police, had heard it the same time she had. The building had been breached. Men, presumably heavily armed, were marching up the stairs, yelling out directions to secure all hostages. Marinette’s eyes filled with horror as she looked into Adrien’s. She had faced danger head on countless times in her life, but for once, she felt absolutely terrified.

Adrien cautiously put his hands back on her shoulders as she sighed at her success in closing the door without making a sound, trying not to frighten her. 

“Come on Marinette, we need to find a place to hide.”

Ayla and Nino were now catching on to the fact that something was horribly wrong.

“Listen,” Marinette turned to her friends. “There are men in the building. We need to get into a room and start blocking the entry. We are staying together. Check each room until you find one that has a lot of furniture and no other entry.” She was fighting a losing battle to keep her voice level. Adrien just nodded at her and pulled the group to the farthest office wall as each began to open the doors on either side.

“Here.” Adrien called. She didn’t double check him, she just hustled everyone into the room and closed the door behind them. 

Adrien and Nino were already pushing furniture up against the door. Adrien ripped off his tie and belt and secured the door handle to the desk so the door couldn’t be opened from the outside. He motioned for Nino to give him his belt as well. 

Marinette turned to check on the mental status of Ayla and had to refrain from the sarcastic laugh that wanted to rip from her suddenly exhausted body as she watched Ayla live stream the events unfolding in the street below. She should have known Ayla would be unfazed.

She turned her attention back to the boys. 

“How secure are we?” she asked.

“They won’t get through there unless they blow the door down.” 

“Reassuring.” Marinette stated dryly. 

“Bad choice of words.” He ran his hand behind his neck and shrugged. “It’s secure.” He reaffirmed. His hair was messy and looked out of place on his face. His shirt was dirty and wrinkled and his assuring tone was betrayed by his nervous habit, but Marinette still somehow found it comforting.

“So now we wait?” Nino asked. Marinette bet he was thinking of Wayzz right now and wishing he had shelter at his command.

“Now we wait.” Ayla confirmed rejoining the group. Apparently she was taking a break from her livestream. 

The time ticked by uneventfully, yet their nerves were running wild. They alternated between idle chatting and long stretches of silence. Ayla and Nino were sitting side by side against one wall. Adrien was leaning on the wall across from them and Marinette found herself pacing back and forth between the two, utterly frustrated at her lack of ability in this situation.

Every once in a while Ayla would peek through the window and report on the increasing police activity out front. Barricades had been set up, but as far as they could tell police had not yet entered the building. 

“God, I wish Ladybug were here.” Ayla muttered. 

Marinette let out a sharp, dry laugh. “Yeah, a lot of good that would do us.” Her elevated nerves prevented her normally functioning filter from working.

“Excuse me?” Adrien asked, sounding mildly offended.

She turned to face him and ceased her pacing temporarily. 

“I said,” she repeated, suddenly unable, or maybe unwilling to stop herself. “Ladybug is powerless to help us. She abandoned Paris, abandoned her friends, and were she here, she would be completely useless.” She was challenging him and for the life of her she didn’t know why.

“Marinette...” Ayla pleaded.

Adrien pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning on. “How dare you!” he demanded.

“How dare I?” she responded incredulously. “Have you seen what’s happening in our city? Have you seen the destruction? Have you seen the pain? And where is she? What good is she? She’s.. She’s nothing!” Marinette could hear her voice rising to near hysterics but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

Adrien’s expression was practically feral. “You know nothing!” he whisper-yelled at her as he closed the distance between them.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ayla grab on to Nino’s arm, preventing him from getting involved. 

“You know nothing about sacrifice! Nothing about honor! Nothing about selflessness!” he accused.

“And you think Ladybug did?” She violently hissed. “Then where is she, Adrien? Where the fuck is she?” Marinette was teeming with fury, but not at him, she realized, at herself.

Adrien visibly deflated. “I don’t know…” he finally whispered, clearly on the verge of tears. “I don’t know.” he said again, more to himself.

Ayla tentatively crossed the room to Marinette.

“Look, all our nerves are on high alert right now, ok?” She gently nudged Adrien back to his wall. Marinette felt herself begin to calm as she was guided in the other direction. “Marinette doesn’t mean it.” And then suddenly, she snapped. “We all know Ladybug was the most selfless-”

“I do mean it!” Marinette finally yelled, her fury unleashed and her concern for volume all but dissipated. “I mean every word of it!”

Ayla looked taken aback and hurt and Marinette couldn’t bring herself to care as she shoved her friend off her. Bitterness and resentment had, for too long, been simmering in the dark corners of her consciousness and there was nothing in the world that could keep them from teeming over now. 

“Ladybug doesn’t deserve your undying loyalty. She was NOT selfless!” Marinette cried, now very near tears herself. 

“She was!” Adrien spat back, not very cleverly, but filled with conviction nonetheless.

That was when Marinette finally lost it. The tears began to stream down her face as her anger violently reached a crescendo. 

“Well I’m sick of being selfless!” The words poured out of her like a waterfall, unable to be tapped. “I want to be selfish! I want to think about what I want! I want to find my kitty and roll my eyes at his stupid puns and stare into his incredible eyes and hug him so tightly he can’t breathe. Because that will be the first time in almost four years, FOUR YEARS, that I will be able to breathe.”

From somewhere behind her she heard Ayla gasp and Nino audibly gulp out, “Oh, shit.” But her attention was almost entirely drawn to Adrien. His eyes blown wide with astonishment. His mouth gaping open as he looked at her, a terrifying emotion clouding his vision, but for the life of her she didn’t know what it was. 

“I lost my best friend! I never understood what she meant, that we were two halves of the same whole, until he was physically, emotionally, and spiritually ripped away from me,” she spat.

Her breath was ragged and violent, and she was sure her appearance mirrored the anguish in her voice. “And no matter what I do, no matter where I look for him, no matter how much time passes, no matter how many new accomplishments I make, the wound is fresh and painful and…” her gaze was inexplicably drawn to Adrien’s, “...and gaping. It…” she finally released a sobbing, hitched breath and bit her lip self-consciously as she looked down at the floor, “it will never heal.” She whispered. 

Not a sound was heard except for Marinette’s heavy breathing and hitched sobs. She turned to Ayla and Nino, her expression clouded with remorse, “I cost us the miraculous,” she shamefully admitted. “I locked away their power and now… now we are helpless.” 

Ayla’s hand was covering her mouth, her eyes blown wide. Under any other circumstance Marinette might have laughed at the fact that she had never seen Ayla stunned into silence before. 

She shamefully turned back to Adrien. “What do you think of Ladybug now?” she whispered, the venom in her voice now far less convincing. “Now that you know she’s a failure?”

Tears were streaming down Adrien’s face as he braced himself against the wall, not trusting his ability to stand without the additional support. He swiped away the moisture from his face as he took a step towards her, a look of incredulity and wonder in his eyes. He tentatively reached out a hand and brushed his fingers against her cheek, making her involuntarily shudder. His eyes were searching hers for something, but Marinette was at a loss as to what.

“It was always you.” His voice was heavy and low and laced thick with emotion. 

Marinette felt as though she was on the precipice of some great revelation, the air was heavy with tension and meaning, but she was as of yet, unable to discern it. 

“I just assumed it was a coincidence…” both his hands were now lightly touching her cheeks and then sliding down to grip her arms, her shoulders, anywhere he could connect with her. They were tender touches as he gazed at her like she was a lighthouse that had finally led him out of a storm.

“...every time I would look for her…” he let out a melancholy laugh. “And over and over again, there you were...”

Marinette looked at him quizzically, waiting for his words to hold some meaning for her, her anger finally having been spent left her with a dull ache of exhaustion.

“How could I have missed it?” His hands were now cupping both her cheeks and he gazed meaningfully in her eyes. “How could I have missed you?”

Ayla’s sharp intake of breath from somewhere behind her either indicated a sudden revelation or some new threat. Marinette couldn't be bothered to figure out which.

“But I’ve found you now. And I don’t ever plan on ever losing you again, My Lady.”

The tears sprang into her eyes unbidden.

“No.” She whispered the word as she shirked away from his tender ministrations, gently pushing him just out of reach. “No.” She said again, slightly louder. 

She must have misheard. She must have misunderstood. The pain in Adrien’s eyes was palpable and painful to bear witness to, but it didn’t deter her from taking another step away from him, like prey, suddenly realizing the inevitability of their demise. She couldn’t do this again. Not now. Not here. Not with him. 

The hope that had been her tentative lifeline was also a dangerous drug that routinely had to be tempered down to protect her heart from the devastation that inevitably crept up time and time again, taunting her. Reminding her that she had lost him. Teasing her that she would never find him. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t hope, not right now. Not while so much rode in the balance and people were in danger and her mind wasn’t thinking clearly. 

She must have misheard.

“Marinette…” his voice sounded pained. He suddenly looked so scared and unsure, the wonder and joy that had been threatening to break through his gaze had all but been extinguished. 

“My Lady…” he repeated again. 

A sob escaped her lips as she collapsed to the floor.

He was next to her, pulling her into his arms the next moment. 

He held her, rocking her fragile and aching body, pulling her as close to himself as he possibly could, petting her hair and whispering reassuring words to her and she finally, for the first time in three years, seven months and fourteen days, let herself completely and irreparably break. 

After she didn’t know how long, Marinette finally began to have a renewed sense of her surroundings. She had no idea how long she had been crying, her soul draining weeping finally giving way to gentle tears as she found herself clutching to Chat like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to this world.

He smelled good. Even despite the dirt and debris and sweat that was caking his trembling frame, he smelled good. Familiar. 

His voice was still muttering quiet ministrations, humming gently into her ear. He held her as though he was afraid she would be ripped from his grasp in any moment. They clung to each other desperately seeking reassurance that everything that had happened over the past few minutes had been real. 

His fingers were rubbing soft rhythmic circles into her shoulder and she buried her face deeply into his chest, curling in like a child seeking warmth. Her fingers clutched him desperately and somehow, despite their extenuating circumstances, for the first time in years Marinette felt completely safe. Completely at peace. 

“I found you…” she whispered the words so low and gentle and tentative she wasn’t sure he heard her until his body froze. He took a startled breath as though he just suddenly remembered who he was holding.

“You found me.” He quietly reaffirmed, adjusting his grip to pull her even tighter to himself, which Marinette would have deemed impossible, but Adrien proved her wrong. 

She mustered every ounce of courage within her to fight the embrace and position herself so she could look up into his face. His eyes searched hers curiously as she cautiously brought her fingers up to his cheek. He unconsciously melted into her touch, and Marinette released the smallest of smiles as she considered that were he transformed, he would most likely be purring. 

He quietly met her gaze as he allowed her eyes to explore him. She brought her hand up to his hair and ran her fingers through his dusty locks, lightly scratching his head in the spot she knew he liked. He closed his eyes and involuntarily shuddered. It was him. It was her Chat.

“I found you, Mon Chaton.” It was said with more conviction this time. She was finally allowing herself to believe it.

His eyes flew open and locked onto hers.

“You found me, My Lady.” 

She wrapped her arms around and tucked herself back into him. Once, she may have been nervous that he would be disappointed by her identity. Once, she may have been terrified to learn who he truly was. But having long ago come to understand what it meant to have another person complete you, every teenage insecurity she had ever possessed dwarfed in the secure knowledge that their intimacy was immutable and enduring.

Relief coursed through her veins and she lacked the ability to feel embarrassment for the way she clung to him. 

Finally, Ayla cleared her throat from the other side of the room.

It took every ounce of will power Marinette possessed to retreat from Adrien’s arms and turn towards her friends, who she just now recalled, were in a very precarious situation.

“It...it um… I think the police are about to breach the building.” Ayla meekly shared, clearly feeling awkward at having been witness to a moment that was so private and visceral. She had tears in her eyes, unable to hide the hurt buried deep within them and Nino was still white as a sheet, eyes darting between the two.

Marinette finally held enough belief in the truth that she had finally found Chat. She was able to rise to her feet and leave the comfort of his warmth that had been enveloping her. Still, she kept her hand extended, fingers grasping on to his cool poplin shirt because she still wasn’t quite ready to let him go. Even as he stood to stand beside her, her fingers never lost contact with him. 

“Ayla…” Once she had started she realized she didn’t know where to go from there. How do you apologize for nearly a decade’s worth of lies and secrets?

“Not right now,” was all Ayla muttered before closing her eyes and shaking away a painful emotion. The next thing Marinette knew Ayla had torn across the room and gripped onto her as tightly as she could, hugging her almost as fiercely as Adrien had.

“I didn’t know,” she kept mumbling under her breath.

“No one did.” Marinette stated simply.

Nino had finally torn himself from his trance of incredulity and was making his way, far more tentatively, to Adrien. Their serious faces, solemn with the harsh realities of secrecy in the midst of battle, finally broke into genuine grins and the men collided into what was (they would later correct Marinette) a very manly bro hug.

A loud crash broke the timidly mirthful moment. A door had been violently swung open and several bodies were charging their way down through the halls. They heard several doors kicked open and men call out. Adrien instinctively took a step closer to Marinette, his fingers were entangled with her own though she had no recollection of when he had grasped them. 

Nino pulled Ayla away from the door as the four friends made their way back toward the window. Their superhero instincts saw the window as a means of escape, but in their present state, the reality was the window meant death just as surely as the men on the other side of their door did.

“It’s empty!” a hard voice called out.

“Arm it and get out. The helicopter will be here in less than ten.” Another deep voice responded from what sounded like was his position guarding the stairwell.

Some more shuffling and scraping from the center room.

“The second the police swarm, blow the building.”

Marinette gripped more tightly onto Adrien’s hand as Ayla fumbled with her phone, desperate to warn the police now doning heavy armor outside.

“Shit,” Nino cautioned under his breath. “If that’s meant to take the whole building down…” he didn’t finish the thought. It had suddenly become all too apparent to the powerless heroes that fate had finally reunited them all, only to laugh cruelly in their faces. 

Adrien turned towards Marinette, she saw the panic in his eyes as he looked at her. “It’s going to be ok.” he promised. A promise they both knew he couldn’t keep but she loved him for it anyway.

“Nino, grab every piece of furniture you can.” Adrien had already reluctantly let Marientte go and was toppling over a bookcase and dragging it to the corner. “They’re not coming back, take everything from the door too.”

Nino looked unsure.

“I’d rather fight off men than take my chances with a bomb, Nino! Grab the furniture!”

Nino did as he was told, very quietly removing the belts that had held the door closed and given them all a sense of security. Adrien was back at Nino’s side and they were dragging the desk to the bookcase.

Ayla and Marinette were right behind them helping Adrien to build his wall of protection. No one bothered to tell him that while it may shield them somewhat from the initial blast, it would do little when the building supports caved beneath them. It was a futile endeavor, but she knew her kitty just needed to feel useful and so she allowed him that one last comfort. 

Incoherent shouting drew their attention back to the street, but Adrien gripped Marinette’s wrist and dragged her back behind his fort of furniture where Ayla and Nino had already settled in. They were lost in a silent conversation, communicating with only their eyes and Marinette knew they had already come to the realization that they weren’t getting out of this one. 

Marinette settled in against Adrien as she heard what had instigated the commotion below. She heard the familiar thrumming of a helicopter approaching the helipad on the top of the building. Their time was almost up, but Marinette decided that if she was going to die today, at least she had been afforded the comfort of having found her Chat and of healing the blistered and bruised corners of her soul.

She had just settled into resigned contentment, Adrien’s firm chest supporting her small frame as she curled up against him when she heard it.

“Get up, Marinette!”

Marinette whipped into a sitting position as she frantically searched the room for the source of the voice.

“Now Marinette!”

It was Tikki’s voice. Marinette was sure of it.

She fought to stand and scan the room, but Adrien pulled her tighter to him, refusing to let her leave.

“You must get up now!” Tikki sounded terrified and exasperated and the voice echoed from within her own mind and suddenly Marinette knew what she had to do. She turned to Ayla and Nino with all the confidence of Ladybug.

“I know what to do.” She simply stated. “Hold him.”

Ayla and Nino glanced at each other quickly before turning back to Marinette and nodding.

Once again Marinette tried to rise to her feet. Adrien protested once again, but this time Ayla and Nino were on him, pinning him to the ground.

“What are you--” Adrien looked hurt and betrayed and pissed and confused and a hundred other things, but Marinette didn’t have time to worry about it as Tikki’s voice within her head was still issuing her command. 

“No! Marinette! No, please! Please come back!” He was fighting against his friends and trying desperately to shove them off of him. 

“Marinette! I can’t lose you again!” His voice cracked and she could hear the tears in his eyes. She could feel them on her own face, but even if this failed to work she was going to try. Because she was Ladybug. Because she protected Paris. Because she would die for her friends every time. Because now that she had found Chat, there was nothing left in this world that she would fear. 

And that was when time stopped. 

At first, Marinette was confused. She turned to look back at Chat and saw him fearfully reaching out to her, a scream of anguish on his lips. A tear slowly fought it way down his cheek. So not stopped then. Slowed.

Marinette walked to the door and slowly opened it as her morbid curiosity got the better of her. 

All she saw was blinding white-hot light. The explosion had already begun and now here she was to stand witness to it, to watch it’s destruction unfold in agonizingly slow detail.

She could no longer hear Tikki’s voice in her head, but her skin was tingling in an oddly familiar fashion and she felt like electricity was dancing up and down her body in anticipation of what was to come. 

She had told Ayla she knew what she was doing, but that really hadn’t been farther from the truth. All she knew was that with her here, maybe they stood a chance. At least, Tikki had thought so.

The light was growing brighter as it stretched towards her and she could see the building slowly cracking along the walls, trembling beneath the blast that had already begun. She took one last glance back at Adrien who watched on in horror. Ayla and Nino had closed their eyes, too terrified that they had just let their best friend walk to her demise. 

Marinette drew her attention back to the explosion, took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come. And just like that, time flowed freely once more. 

The bomb went off at full force, nearly knocking Marinette to the ground. But it didn’t. Her eyes and skin glowed of gold and a power long ago experienced within her body raged to life. Her body, once again defying gravity, fought to absorb the energy around her, but Ladybug had been much stronger than Marinette and magic was much easier to control than the violent war machines of men. Somehow before it had been far more intuitive. 

She could hear Adrien’s frantic pleas to his friends to let him go, but everyone knew there was nothing he could do to help her now. She would either absorb the blast, or she wouldn't. 

A force within her fought for control and Marinette willingly relinquished herself to it. It tore through her consciousness like lightning, then burst forth from within her greedily pulling the energy of the blast back into itself. 

The more energy Marinette consumed the brighter her form began to glow as she once again revelled in the power, though she had to fight to retain consciousness as a deeper, more ancient power within her threatened to take over.

It felt like she floated there for hours, listening to the cries of her friends and charging her own power as she channeled it from the blast, but in truth it could only have been seconds. She could feel herself fighting a losing battle with an unseen foe that she wasn’t even able to identify. She realized there was so much more at stake in this moment than just the building. 

This was ancient. And powerful. And dangerous. 

She felt herself begin to fall. She stole one last glance at her kitty before everything finally went black.

Marinette woke with a start. Sweat was beading on her forehead, her body was trembling and every muscle in her body burned, aching as though she had just been hit with, well, an explosion. The fog of sleep having lost its grasp on her, she vigorously tossed her blankets off of her, heart beating in erratic anticipation. 

The hope that had steadied her for so long but was always kept carefully constrained had burst free from its cage and was now guiding her every step.

Marinette’s feet flew over the familiar cold tile floor and she dashed to her door and ripped it open. She was down the steps of her apartment entry in one giant leap, her door left carelessly swinging on its hinges behind her as she sprinted off down the street, her bare feet oblivious to the harsh pavement on the road that some unseen force within her was leading her down. 

She suddenly realized she didn’t know to where she was running. But that was of little consequence. She knew to whom she was running and that was all that really mattered. 

She navigated around a crowd of tourists and deftly spun herself past a street light, grabbing hold of it to help her use the momentum of her body to make the sharp turn down the next street. She broke into a dash, instinct alone guiding her and stopped abruptly in her tracks only when she saw his form break through the unfamiliar faces of the crowd. They stood still, apart from their panting, eyes secured on to each other. And like clouds parting to a clear sky, everyone else faded into the distance and it was only him. And her. Together.

There was only another moment's hesitation before they both began running again, oblivious to anything but the other until their bodies finally crashed together, the sea of tension and regret and fear and secrecy that had for so long kept them apart surging over them as a new dawn was breaking. 

“Don’t ever do that again,” he was murmuring to her, but his voice was quiet and sweet, not chastising as his arms wrapped tightly around her. Their touches were anything but cautious as they both seized the other with fascination and desperation, grasping for a lifeline based upon years of the familiar feeling of drowning. He held her tightly to his chest. “I missed you so much, Marinette. Everyday. Everyday I yearned for you.”

She knew she should have been self conscious. She was sobbing in the street in her night clothes and no shoes. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

“Mon Chaton…” She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled her hands up to his shoulders, hugging him with ferocity and determination. “I never stopped looking.” 

It was finally an angry blast of a taxi’s horn that ultimately pulled them from the moment, urging them to get out of the street and back to Marinette’s apartment. 

They walked silently back to her place. Occasionally sharing small smiles of disbelief with each other each time they caught the other’s eye. Adrien’s fingers were wound tightly through her own, a silent admission that he really, truly wasn’t letting her leave his side. She might have blushed if she hadn’t the same fierce protective urge as he. 

As they walked up the steps to her door which was still comically blown open she sighed. “We have to stop the attack.” She finally broached the subject that she knew would set him on edge. 

“I’ll call the police and notify them,” he said after careful consideration. “But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go back there.” He then firmly closed the door behind them both, as if signaling that that was the end of the conversation. 

“Adrien…” she attempted her best Ladybug voice, “We have a duty.”

“My duty is to protect you!” She tried not to startle at the way he hissed the words. She gently led him to her sofa, stroking his arms, his back, his cheek. She was trying to disarm and soothe a predator while also calculating her own attack.

“There are a lot of people there…” She let the fact weigh the air down between them.

“I’ll call the police..” he tried again weakly. He could already sense he was losing the battle.

She pulled him down to the sofa and once again curled her body into his. There was still so much ahead of them, but she needed these few moments so that no matter what transpired over the next few hours, she would have no regrets. 

The atmosphere of the room juggled between a tense juxtaposition of sublime contentment and hesitant uncertainty before a small voice broke the quiet between them.

“You could always call Ladybug?” the giddy little voice suggested. 

Marientte practically fell off the sofa in her hurry to whip her body around to the source of the sound. This time the voice sounded very real and clear and no longer in her head.

Tikki zoomed to her Chosen’s cheek, tiny tears in the eyes of the small goddess that were complemented by some of Marinette’s very own.

“Tikki!” She tried to shout, but her voice hitched with emotion. The meaning had gotten across. 

“You’re here! You’re actually here!” Marinette shouted, somewhat more coherently. 

“Oh, Marinette…” the ageless kwami smiled. “I was always here.”

Marinette was overcome with happiness at the sight of her dear, sweet friend. 

“What happened?” she managed to choke out, smiling to herself that Adrien had slid down from the sofa to be closer to the two.

“In a time of need, you activated a very rare and very dangerous ancient power, Marinette.” The kwami almost sounded… impressed. “You summoned the power of all the miraculous, Marinette!” 

Marinette assumed from the tone of her voice that this was a rare power indeed. 

“Not only that…” her voice continued, “Once you summoned us all, you contained us.” 

The awe was tangible.

“Only the most capable of all the miraculous wielders is able to contain the raw power of all the miraculous within them and not fall victim to corruption.” The kwami smiled brightly at her Chosen. “Marinette, I was always there. I never left you.”

The tender moment was interrupted with Adrien’s small question that sounded like it came more from the voice of a fourteen year old boy than from himself.

“What… What about the other kwami?” It came out as a frightened whisper. A question he was scared to ask, but possibly even more scared to hear the answer to.

Tikki just looked at Adrien with a warm smile of adoration.

“Why, you miss me kid?” The snarky voice of his kwami called out from behind him.

In an instant Adrien was crying again as he and his kawmi faux tackled each other on the floor. The scene brought fresh tears to Marinette’s eyes as she watched their reunion.

“Were you here this whole time?” Adrien demanded with false accusation in the tone.

“Hey kid, I know how to make an entrance. Besides, I already knew I wouldn’t be getting any cheese until you got the girl.” Plagg motioned his head back to Marinette. “And it’s about damn time too,” the kawmi playfully groaned. 

“Yes,” he said more to Marinette than to Plagg, “Yes it is.”

Marinette’s phone rang just then and despite Adrien’s reluctance she dashed to her bedroom to grab it. It was Ayla.

There was no more time to put off obligations. Now that their kwami had returned, they were more capable than ever. They had a city to protect and Parisians to inspire.

After calming her frantic friend down, Marinette told Ayla to get Nino and for both of them to meet her at the same back door they had entered the first time they had lived this day. She didn’t have time to explain and Tikki had already informed her that the other kwami couldn’t re-fuse with their miraculous object until Marientte was in their near vicinity. 

Ayla and Nino were in for a surprise.

It had taken a few moments to convince him, but despite his perceived reluctance, she knew Adrien was itching to transform. Not yet ready to let the world know Ladybug and Chat Noir were back in commission, she talked Adrien into taking a cab. As she expected, he complained the whole way there. She had rolled her eyes at his cat-astrophy pun and they both made exasperated faces at each other, but Marinette hid her smile at the fact that despite the teasing banter, he had never let go of her hand.

After one more complaint at the indignity of having a super hero show up to save the day in a taxi, they found themselves staring at the familiar service entrance door. As if on cue, Nino and Ayla walked up on either side of them, looking anxious but eager.

“So?” Nino asked. “What’s the plan?”

Apparently everyone had the flair for the dramatic today, because at just that moment both Trixx and Wayzz fazed into sight. 

Before Nino or Ayla even had the chance to react Marinette let out a smug smile. “I think together, we can accomplish anything,” she replied, commanding far more of Ladybug than she had in a long, long while.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it. It started spiraling out of control and I decided to end it here even though I had more to the story. My tiny little one shot that distracted me from my other story somehow turned into a 30 page monster.
> 
> I regret nothing!


End file.
